What Nuno Espirito Santo privately said to his players after Arsenal dominated West Ham

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Arsenal handed Nuno Espirito Santo his first defeat as West Ham United manager on matchday seven.

Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka scored to give Arsenal a crucial three points to go top of the Premier League table ahead of the international break.

Despite the two goal scorers impressing, it was Martin Zubimendi who ran the show against West Ham, coming off the bench to put the opposition to the test.

The visitors were tested in all areas as Arsenal dominated from start to finish, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom in Nuno Espirito Santo’s eyes.

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Nuno Espirito Santo gives his assessment on West Ham’s performance vs Arsenal 

Nuno has had a whirlwind start to the season, beginning the campaign at Nottingham Forest and taking on the West Ham job by matchday seven.

Still very early into his tenure at the London Stadium, the Portuguese coach isn’t too unnerved by the draw and defeat he’s seen from his side so far.

Speaking after the action at the Emirates, via West Ham’s official website, Nuno revealed what he told his players after being outplayed by Arsenal. 

“It’s a tough place. I think in that aspect it was a good test for us, but I told the boys and I told you, ‘OK, we can lose. What we have to do, and I think we did, was make our opponents work harder’.”

The West Ham boss believes his side made Arsenal work harder than anticipated, acknowledging that facing the Gunners at the Emirates isn’t an easy task.

Like every Premier League game, Arsenal were made to work for the three points, a crucial win that takes Mikel Arteta’s side into the international break as the Premier League leaders.

Arsenal dominated West Ham

While Arsenal might be aggrieved at the timing of the international break amid building form, Nuno will be delighted that the fixtures are being paused.

Joining a struggling West Ham team early in the season hands the former Nottingham Forest boss a difficult task, with challenges not coming any harder than facing Arsenal away from home. 

Arsenal showed Nuno no mercy at the Emirates, dominating in all areas, controlling possession and firing as many as 21 shots on goal.

What was perhaps the most impressive part of Arsenal’s display was the split of the expected goals metric.

The Gunners reduced West Ham to just 0.49xG, while racking up 2.77xG themselves, showcasing their control at either end of the pitch.

Arteta will have few complaints heading into the break, with Arsenal taking advantage of Liverpool’s early wobble.